After much hesitation, Alec Baldwin hands over his cell phone to the authorities

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After fatal shot on set: authorities want to examine Alec Baldwin's cell phone

Photo: Charlie Neibergall / dpa

Hollywood star Alec Baldwin will hand over his iPhone to authorities investigating an incident on the set of the film "Rust" in which Baldwin shot and fatally injured a camerawoman with a colt.

Baldwin said he thought the gun was loaded with blanks, but it actually contained live ammunition.

The actor will hand over his cellphone to authorities "this week," Baldwin's attorney Aaron Dyer announced on Thursday.

The New York Times reports.

The request came a month ago

His client and he reached an agreement with authorities in Santa Fe County last weekend.

Shortly before, the authorities in the US state of New Mexico had announced that they had requested the return of the phone by means of a search warrant from a court in mid-December, but the mobile phone had not yet been handed over to the authorities.

Baldwin previously refused to give up the phone voluntarily, police said.

Therefore, Baldwin's lawyers would have received the claim.

But even after the public prosecutor had been called in, the phone was not handed over.

Text messages, emails, social media accounts and photos on the device, among other things, should be examined for the police investigation.

Baldwin's attorney dismissed reports that his mandate would not cooperate with authorities.

"Since that tragic incident, Mr. Baldwin has continued to cooperate with authorities, and any allegation to the contrary is simply untrue," the statement read, quoted by The New York Times.

According to Baldwin, newspaper reports contain "nonsense" and "lies"

Baldwin had already rejected media reports on Instagram last week that he would not fully support the investigation. Referring to the requested phone, the actor said newspaper reports contained "nonsense" and "lies." This process would take time. Authorities could not easily view photos or love letters to his wife on the phone, Baldwin said in the video clip. But you have to find out the truth about the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the actor stressed.

Hutchins, 42, was fatally injured on October 21 while filming for the western "Rust" at a film ranch in Santa Fe.

Lead actor Baldwin had used the gun in rehearsal for a scene.

The investigation, which is still ongoing, revealed that the Colt contained real ammunition.

The police are currently investigating how this could have happened.

has/dpa